This is the original painting by Ron Embleton used to illustrate the book Best Known Fairy Stories, by Charles Perrault, retold by Lornie Leete-Hodge (London, Dean, 1983).

The Ridiculous Wishes or The Three Ridiculous Wishes is a French literary fairy tale by Charles Perrault published in 1697 in the volume titled Histoires ou contes du temps passé.

A woodcutter complained of his poor lot. Jupiter (or, alternatively, a tree spirit) granted him three wishes. The woodcutter went home, and his wife persuaded him to put off the wishing until the next day, after he had thought, but while sitting by the fire, he wished for sausages.

His wife taxed him for his folly, and angry, he wished the sausages on her nose. Finally, they agreed to use the last wish to take the sausages off her nose, leaving them no better off than before.

In some different types of versions of this tale, black pudding is used instead of sausages.

This original painting is from the Ron Embleton family collection. zFairy zRidiculousWishesThe